Saturday, July 29, 2006

Friday, July 28, 2006

Flowers from the crepe myrtle tree, in my back yard. It's too hot to go out there and paint, so I brought some flowers in. The little pink petticoat blossoms, burst out of the berries like a group of innocent can-can dancers.watercolor moleskine

Thursday, July 27, 2006

I swam laps today, for 30 minutes. Afterwards, I tried to channel David Hockney, and painted the colors of the swimming pool. It felt good, to sit by the pool, in my wet bathing suit and actually feel cool. It was 94 today.The potted plant , on the right, has grown 4 feet in a month! It spent its first two years in the sun, and now is thriving in the shade. I know how it feels.watercolor moleskine

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Judy Collins, from her book Singing Lessons"I learned, again and again, the lesson of creativity: the painting I make today, the drawing I do today, the poem I do today, is meant to save my life today."

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Historical (hysterical) record-breaking heat in San Diego. It was 112 in Escondido and Poway yesterday, and 109 here in my community. Thank goodness for air conditioning (and the many other things I'm grateful for...) and Mary Oliver's poetry.

Friday, July 21, 2006

I was tired when I did this at the end of the day (our bookcase doesn't tilt that that in real life.) Tired because I painted a wall in our living room a lovely shade of 'sunwashed clay.' watercolor moleskine

Another, small art quilt, created in Lesley Riley's class. It was a two day workshop in Idyllwild, called "Fabric Collage." This is about 9x12" and all hand sewn. The flowers are from a painting in my watercolor moleskine.

Husb and I spent the weekend in Idyllwild. I took a weekend workshop. We had a wonderful time! We rented a small cabin, and sketched every morning and evening. Here's the room, and the view from the room.watercolor moleskine

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

I pass this lovely flowering vine every day on my walk. The colors are brilliant. Didn't have my sketchbook at the parade (3 year old baton twirlers, real estate agents, and war veterans) or at the fireworks (a lovely man dressed as a civil war soldier), so this is my 4th of July painting.watercolor moleskine.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

San Diego SketchCrawlersfirst official sketch crawl. Spent a lovely Sunday in Balboa Park, with fellow artists. I drew the scene, below, like Irina encouraged me in class this week. ("Why go on a trip, and sketch the flowers," she said, "you can do that at home." Why sketch a tree at the Parthenon?) Still challenged by perspective...

Saturday, July 01, 2006

I'm playing with the layout of the letters, on my dining room table. I think I'll sew them on to a larger backing of organza, that I patterned by laying it on a rusty old screen. I've been working on these dozen or so letters (and envelopes) for nearly 3 months. It's been an amazing process. And it's been so cool to reconnect with Ralph, through email.